Nozzle ring for gas turbines



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Patented Feb. 7, 1950 UNITED s'm'rlss PATENT orricE NOZZLE RING :MGAS TURBINES I Walter Kenneth Bodger, South Glastonbury, I

Conn., assigner to United Aircraft Corporation, East Hartford. Conn., a corporation of Dela- Application March 27, 1945, Serial No. 585,161 i claim. (ci. 25a-is) nozzle ring for a `of this invention is a nozzle ring having exposed parts made of a heat resistant ceramic matcrial.

Certain ceramics that have the desirable heat resistant characteristics do not have the strength necessary to withstand the stresses applied during turbine operation. A feature of the invention is a nozzle ring in which the ceramic vane elements are reinforced by metallic rings. Another feature is an arrangement for cooling the metallic reinforcing rings. A feature of the invention is the assembly of the nozzle ring from individually formed ceramic vanes. Another feature is the arrangement of each vane with integral inner and outer ring segments so that the vanes are properly spaced when they are assembled n the supporting structure.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the specification and claim, and from the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a part of the nozz'le ring.

Fig. 2 is a developed sectional view through several of the ceramic vanes.

Fig. 3 is a radial sectional view through the nozzle ring. l

The nozzle ring is adapted for use either in a single stage turbine or as one of the nozzle rings in a multi-stage turbine of the type shown in the copending application of Bodger, Serial No. 550,872, filed August 23, 1944. The nozzle ring includes a number of ceramic vane elements l0, Fig. 2, having at opposite -ends inner and outer ring segments I2 and It of the same material. These ring segments have radially extending flanges i8 and i8 which engage over inner and outer metallic supporting rings 2l and 22. As shown, the flanges I6 extend radially inward toward the center of the nozzle ring and the flanges I8 extend radially outward so that the inner and outer supporting rings nt between the ilanges. As shown in Fig. 2, the ring segments i2 and il are made of such a width that when the adjoining vane elements are mounted sish on the supporting rings with the ring segments in contact, the blades will be properly spaced around the nozzlc ring.

The supporting rings 20 and 22 may be built up from separate elements welded together, as shown in Fig. 3, to form hollow rings with openings 24 and 26 through which a. coolant may be circulated in order to keep the rings at such a temperature that the permissible stress in the metal, which decreases as the temperature increases, will not be exceeded. Circulation' of coolant between inner and outer rings may be provided, if desired, by making a number of the vanes I0 hollow. as indicated at 2B, to re ceive metallic tubes 30 connecting at opposite ends with the inner and outer rings, as shown.

With the built-up construction described, the surfaces of the nozzle ring which are normally exposed to the hot gas in the turbine are ceramic material, and direct transfer of heat to the metal supporting structure is greatly reduced. The metallic supporting structure will carry the loads applied to the nozzle ring and thel ceramic material itself will not be subjected to stresses above those which it is capable of withstanding. In the arrangement shown in the drawing, the tubes 30 are out of contact with the vane elements through which they extend to reduce the direct transfer of heat from the ceramic to the tube.

The ceramic used is preferably one which canA withstand temperatures as high as or higher than 2000" F. in order to produce a turbine which can operate with gases at these high temperatures. The ceramic at these temperatures will retain a satisfactory compressive strength and will not be undesirably aiIected by the hot gases. 'I'he surface will be smooth so that it will not provide too much resistance to the flow of the gas.

It will be understood that the inner or outer supporting ring 20 or 22 may have mounted there-on suitable supporting means or anges by which the nozzle ring may be mounted within the turbine structure.

It is to be understood thatvthe invention is not limited to the specific embodiment herein illustrated and described, but may be used in other ways without departure from its spirit as dened by the following claim.

I claim:

A nozzle ring for turbines, including ceramic vanes at least some of which are hollow, inner and outer supporting rings between which the vanes extend, circumferentially spaced. radially extending elements in said hollow vanes and fixed at their ends to the rings, ring segmenti on both ends of vanes adapted to extend over and cover the rings, said ring segments being wide 'enough circumferentially to correspond to the vane spacing, adjacent ring segments engaging one another edgewise to hold the vane: in predetermined circumferential spaced relation within the supporting rings, said ring segments, at least ,at one end of each vane, having radially extending flanges at opposite edges of the ring segments extending over and engaging with the side surfaces of the adjacent supporting ring for positioning the vanes axially with respect to the supporting rings.

WALTER KENNETH BODGER.

REFERENCES CITED Thev following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

Number Number Hagemann, et al. Mar. 18, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Oct. 28, 1912 Great Britain June 14, 1924 Italy Mar, 11, 1940 Italy May 11, 1940 

